Iwan ostromislensky



Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,683,405 PATENT OFFICE.

' IWAN OSTBOMISLENSKY, OF NEW YORK, N, Y., ASSIGNOB TO THE NAUGATUCK. CHEM- ICAL COMPANY, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PROCESS FOR MAKING VITREOUS POLYMERIZED STYROLS AND PRODUCTS OBTAINED 1 THEREBY.

No Drawing; Original application filed May 7, 1924, Serial No. 711,584. Divided and this application 7 filed January 31, 1925. -Serial No. 6,002.

This invention relates to'the recovery of styrol-containing fractions from pretoleum oil and the isolation of vitreous polymerized styrol therefrom. 1

- They also show a dull fracture and may be- This application 15 a. division of, my copending applicationSerial No. 711, 584, filed May 7,1924. l

The terms vitreous polymerized AixCH CHJ and vitreous-polymerized styrolas used herein are intended to include that polymerized ALCH CH and thatpolymer-v ized styrol which are tough and transparent and which maybe practically colorless.

cut with a knife to form thin films or parings. The terms exclude the brittle impure resinous products which show a bright sharply defined fracture, which have a generally brownish color and a lower melting point than the vitreous type and which when out with a knife chip or crumble.

The invention accordingly comprises a process for making vitreous polymerized styrol and similar hydrocarbonswhich com-v prises recovering styrol and hydrocarbons of the general formula ArCHzCl-l where Ar represents aryl, directly from petroleum oil. More specifically the invention relates to processes of fractionating,petroleum oils to yield ArCH: CH containing hydrocarbons and recovering vitreous polymerized ArCH: CH therefrom.

The invention comprises the steps of fractionating the petroleum oil. subjecting to a polymerizing action the ArCI-I: (lH -containing fraction, separating out the nonstyroloid hydrocarbons, depo-lymerizing the resinous .ArCfLCl-L to give unpolymerized ArCl-l CPL, and repolymerizing the latter to form vitreous polymerized ArCH: CH

In my copending application No. 6,003, filed January 31, 1925, it was stated that certain by products of the carbureted water gas industry contain Ai-CH :ClL-yielding hydrocarbons. It has also been found that another source of Ar.CH: CH is obtained by cracking petroleum oils directly. 1 These oils may be cracked under widely varying conditions for the purpose of producing Ar- CH: GHQ-containing fractions.

As an example of such procedure 8000 grams of Oklahoma petroleum are passed through a hot tube at a temperature of 650 C and at a rate of 20 grams per minute. S1multaneously a stream of some inert gas.

such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide is passed I through the tube at the'rate of say 5060 cos; per minute. This cracking operation yields 4400 grams of gas and 3200 grams of liquid condensate. This condensate is found to contain about 500 grams of styrol amountlng to 6.25% based on the amount of -oil originally cracked. The condensate is Steam distillation of this mixture frees the styrol from the distyrol and other high boilmg substances which may be present. The resultant styrol is then polymerized to the vitreous modification according to processes set forth in the application of Ostromislensky and Gibbons, Serial No. 711.585. filed May 7, 1924 or of my copending applica tion Serial No. 711,584. filed May 7, 1924, of

which the present application is a division.

According to the first of these copending applications. a composition containing at least 40% of styrol may be heated at 135- 200 C. for approximately 1008 hrs. In the second of the above applications styrol of approximately 96% purity may be heated for about 20 hrs. at 135140 C. In both instances the toughpolymerized styrol, here in called vitreous polymerized styrol. is ob tained free from impure brittle modification herein described as resinous polymerized styrol.

method has been given for obtaining a styrol containing fraction directly from petroleum oil, it is understood that the invention is not limited to this particular example but will include in its scope other cracking processes by which a styrol containing fraction may be obtained.

An advantage of this process is that the styrol-containing fraction may be separated \Vhile a specific example of a cracking from the petroleum oil, and at the same time gas may be obtained along with other byproducts which have a commercial Value.

As many apmrenl'ly Widely dill'ercut cmbmliinents of this invention may be made Without del'utrting from the spirit l'l'lil'tfil will be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the speciiliic embodiment herein set forth except as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A process for producing vitreous polymerized styro from crude petroleui'n oil which com n'iscs cracking;' the crude oil Vapors at approxmiately 650 C; and collecting the comlensable portion of this fraction, heating: the slyrols in said fraction to form brittle, impure resinous polyli'ierized styrol, heating the resinous polymerized styrol to form unpolyiiierized styrol of greater purity, and repolymerizing said unpblymerized styrol to form tough vitreous polymerized styrol.

2. A process for producing vitreous polymerized styrols fron'i crude petroleum oil which comp! ses cracking the crude 'oil Vapors at approximately 65!) (l, separating the gas from the condensiible liquid portion of said fraction, distillihgtlle condensate and polymerizing it at approximately 200- 220 C. to form a brittle, impure resinous polymer, purifying and depolymerizing said resinous polymer, separating the purified styrol therefrom, and subsequently repolymerizing' the purified unpolynierized styrol recovered therefrom to form yitreous polymerized styrol. V

3. A process for producing vitreous polymerized styrols from crude petroleum which coimjrises 1 sing the petroleum through a hot tube at zu proximutely (350 C. in the presence of an inertgas, separatingt-he condensuble portion o'f the fraction from the gaseous )ortiou thereof, distillingthe condensate thus formed, polymerizing the d stillate at approxin'lately 200-220 for 16 hrs. to form brittle, impure resinous polymerized styro'l, sel'aarating the resinous. polymer from other hydrocarbons by distillation, depolymerizing the polymer, recovering purified styrol from the unpolymerized liquid; and heating the styrol thus recovered at 135- 200 (I. to form tough vitreous polylilerizell styrol'.

l. In a process for making styrols from crude petroleum oils, in'which the oils are cracked and a styrol-containingf condensate is collected, distilled, the distillate collected and polymerized to form a resinous polymerized styrol, the steps of depolymerizihg; the resinous polymer into liquid form and subsequently removing therefrom a styrol of greater purity. r

In a process for producing styrols from crude petroleum, wliereili the petroleum is cracked to give a styrol-co'ntztinihg fraction which is heated to form an impure resinous polymerized styrol, the steps of distilling the resinous polymerized styrol to remove some of the hydrocarbon impurities therein; depolymerizing the partially purified resinous polymer and separating from the depolymerized liquid at styrol of increased purity.

Signed at Cromwell, county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, this 26th day of J miner-y, 1925.

IWAN OSTROMISLENSKY. 

